Domesticated

One of my goals in life is to make sure my daughter isn't as OCD about domestic things as I am. I want her to enjoy her life fully and as much as I'm very happy, I have lost a lot of sleep and taken a lot of anxiety medication over a messy house or laundry not being done. That being said, I really enjoy being domesticated (and stuff) during the holidays! And Little S. really took to decorating the tree and baking Christmas treats to send to family members that we won't get to see over the holiday. Little S. wore her apron (even out on our errands!), mixed the brownie batter, and vacuumed with her daddy.

We finally got batteries for Little S.' vacuum cleaner and as soon as she heard daddy running the vacuum, she grabbed her own, ran into our bedroom, and started working right alongside him. (Husband is being awesome and vacuuming the dust off of our ceiling fans... Does anyone else run into that issue?)

While the two look-alikes worked on the cleaning, I baked literally all.day.long. What's the result? Oatmeal cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate peanut butter fudge brownies, double chocolate brownies, cinnamon clove cookies, oatmeal cookies, regular shortbread and cocoa almond shortbread. All of those are tightly sealed and waiting for next weekend's coconut lemon bars and white chocolate peppermint pretzel rods to be made and then the mail's going out! Now, I just have to keep Husband and Little S. out of the cookie jar(s).

^ Shortbreads - the small slice is a half of the one I gave my neighbor for feedback.

^ Double chocolate brownies

^ Cinnamon clove cookies baking in the oven!

^ I'm going to need to hide these babies so they last before sending!

I hope the recipients of le baked goods enjoy them! And I'll be back tomorrow with Little S.' visit with Santa!

Food, Clothes, & an Event!

Readers, I write this morning with so much anticipation! I've been invited to the press and media release party for the Grand Opening of the Clothes Hound boutique in Raleigh, NC. It's tonight and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it, because it's a work week. But... I get off early, today and Husband is amazing enough to be home in time to take care of Little S. so I can leave on time! 

I can't wait to bring pictures and information back to not only the blog, but to Greenville as well! Raleigh is considered local shopping grounds for us, so hopefully I can spread the word about the awesome ladies that run the place and have good photos and notes to prove that everyone needs to give the Clothes Hound a visit! I'm such a nerd, but I feel so important. And I tried on FIVE outfits for the hubs last night. I want to look professional, but laid back. Not like I'm trying too hard or am out of my element. Also, Raleigh ladies? Southern charm! So I had to choose something that would show my appreciation for belle style.

Without giving away my outfit, here's a hint (and tone it down a bit... or a lot, k?):

image via chanel

And TOTALLY off subject, I've been talking a lot on Facebook about cooking Indian cuisine for the family for which I work. "The Mom" taught me how to make masala from scratch and not only is it easy, it's healthy and nutritious. I've been eating it all week, because you can literally put anything in it! Well, except broccoli or asparagus. I haven't tried those two, but was strongly advised against it! So, I've made meat masala with ground chicken, chickpea masala, and last night, I made sweet bell pepper masala, also called Capsicum. I serve the main courses over long grain and wild rice pilaf and even Little S. and Husband have been enjoying the sweet and spicy cuisine.

Capsicum

-or- Bell Peppers Masala

I don't have peas in mine, but other than that difference, this photo is very similar to last night's dinner.

image via 

How to Masala:

- 1 large yellow onion

- 2 T. tomato paste

- 6 cloves of garlic

- 1 inch of peeled fresh ginger

- 1 t. salt

- 1 t. kitchen king 

(found at Indian food stores)

- 1 t. turmeric

- 1 t. cayenne pepper

I've doubled this for most of my recipes, because I'm cooking an abundance ahead of time to eat throughout the week.

Brown the onions to hell. No, really. My boss said that's the secret and I know it's true because I've done two batches. The one with browner onions was waaaayyy tastier. Don't burn them, though!

In a food processor or blender, combine the garlic, ginger, and a bit of water to make a paste.

Add garlic and ginger paste plus tomato paste to the browned onions.

Add four seasonings.

Cook together for 5 more minutes.

Add your cooked vegetable, meat, or beans!

Cook together for 5 minutes.

Serve hot!

Makes delicious leftovers!

Don't forget to stop back by tomorrow for Project Self and my 400 Follower Giveaway! 

I have a few awesome friends that are donating services or products to this giveaway. If you'd like to join in, please send me an email at kimberly.s.parham(at)gmail(dot)com! I'd love to have you and to do a special feature on you and your blog or product/service in return!

Remember, I'm announcing the giveaway tomorrow, so I'd need to know by tonight!

Thanks, friends!

Exposure and the Chicken

 Have you ever called your dinner a "package?"

I giggled when I read the title of the recipe, because, well...

I'm a dirty sailor.

"Aromatic Chicken Packages"

(hahahaha)
- as adapted from The Glycemic Index Cookbook-

Ingredients:

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 tsp. EVOO

- 1 zucchini, trimmed

- 1 carrot

- 1 celery stalk, trimmed

- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded

2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

- 10 cardomom pods, broken (I didn't use these)

- 4 tbsp white wine

- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (I used oregano)

- scant 1 cup brown basmati rice

- few saffron strands (omg. $7.99 for HALF an ounce)

- pepper

- (I added garlic)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Cut 4 squares of parchment paper (this wasn't in the "ingredient" list, so I didn't buy any- you'll see I used foil and it worked great), 8 inches in size. Lightly rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Heat a nonstick skillet, add the oil, then brown the chicken on all sides (how many sides does a chicken breast have?). Set aside.

2. Cut all the vegetables into thin strips. In the center of each square of baking parchment (or foil), place one quarter of the vegetable strips with a chicken breast on top. Pour over 1 tbsp of the wine and season with a little pepper (and garlic). Add chopped cilantro (ahem, oregano). Fold over to encase the vegetables and chicken. Place the parcels in a large baking pan and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. I found that 20 minutes was perfect with the foil. The chicken was juicy, tender, and cooked all the way through. Remove the packages from the oven and place each one on a seving plate, letting each person appreciate the aroma as they open their own package. Seriously? They're not asking for me to laugh, here? Insert, "That's what she said."

3. Meanwhile, rinse the rice, then place in a pan with the remaining cardamom pods (er... water?) and the saffron strands (I also added saffron to the packages). Cover with water and boil. Cover, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain and place in a warmed serving bowl, then serve with the chicken.

Dinner: 335 calories

This plate is a 7x7 inch square.

So, my mornings have just gotten a lot more hectic. I used to only have to get myself motivated and ready to go to work. But now I have to get Little S. ready to go, too. Actually, that's a lie. I had to get her up and ready to go to daycare. But now, for some reason (ahem, she's exhausted from playing so hard all.day.long), she's a pain to wake up. So I'm quite frankly VERY lucky to be able to snap a photo of myself. This morning, I set my camera on the Brita that was still sitting on our dining table from last night. The first snap used flash for some reason and the second didn't. So the first photo is blown out and the second is fuzzed and dark. I should at least make an effort to go back outside. The grill is feeling left behind as the tripod stand-in. I didn't even grab my shoes before taking these photos, but that doesn't really matter, since I don't wear shoes at work much, anyway.

top: Filene's Basement

shorts: Old Navy

hah... that's it.

boring.

I've been thinking about setting out my outfits during the weekend and having husband take outfit photos for me ahead of time and posting them the days I actually wear them. 

Would anyone be offended? Would you have even known if I didn't tell you just now?

Oops.

Off to make chickpea burgers for dinner! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week and is looking forward to linking up with this Friday's Project Self!

Stay tuned to see We Love Colors Wednesday return, tomorrow!!!